


Bright Autumn

by CherryBerryKomainu



Series: Silk And Sword And Swindling [8]
Category: Dororo (Anime 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Grudges, Misunderstandings, canon character death mention, mentions of child death, mentions of violence towards minors, not so great parental figures, trauma aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 05:06:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19761193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryBerryKomainu/pseuds/CherryBerryKomainu
Summary: Hyakkimaru was not the only one, changed by the death of Mio, a shame he figured that out too late.Now he faces another who names him a monster, and he might not be able to kill them.





	Bright Autumn

“Aki! I know you’re out here!” Kiyoshi hollered into the garden, shifting his sharp eyes around, trying to find the telltale sign of brown hair. “I’m giving you 30 seconds to come out and give me back that bow or you’ll be sleeping in Yumino’s stables for the rest of the week!” The huntsman threatened, crossing his arms. He swore he’d slap the next person that told him raising a girl was easy, gender didn’t seem to matter when it came to children being menaces.

Just then an arrow whizzed through the air, and Kiyoshi was already debating whether this counted as coming out or being cheeky, and if he should let the punishment go or simply make it easier, until the arrow hit its target.

Said target, was invisible. The arrow stuck what seemed to be air, though Kiyoshi could see a splatter of red for but a moment, before the arrow and whatever it had hit, plummeted to the ground.

The shooter immediately popped out of the jasmines, an 11 year old girl with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, grey, and surprisingly adult, eyes, and a dirt stained kimono who smiled widely as she quickly dashed across the garden to grab her catch.

Kiyoshi grabbed her by her ponytail, causing the girl to yelp and drop the invisible thing. 

“Kiyoshiiii!” She whined, trying to tug her hair loose from the bescarred man’s hands, “What was that for?! Didn’t you see what I did?! I got it!”

“You ruined your clothing, stole one of my bows, AND my arrows, and probably crushed some of the jasmines, Aki!” Kiyoshi growled, yanking the weapon out of the girl’s hands. 

“I only had to do that because no one believed me!” She muttered, slipping away to hold the invisible thing up.

To her, it looked like some sort of imp like crow, and boy was she glad it was dead, sure it’s bulging eyes were still open, but at least they were lifeless now, and she wouldn’t have to hear it’s nightmarish crowing again. She shoved it in the bald male’s face. 

“This is the thing that’s been ruining the crops and scaring all the kids at night! Just like I said!” She exclaimed. “Sure you can’t see it, but I’m holding something, and come tomorrow no crops will have been destroyed and no children will have gone sleepless!”

This child, oh this child really put Kiyoshi on edge, if it wasn’t talk of invisible demon like entities, it was watching him and his apprentices train in archery from a tree, or stealing a bow and some arrows to go practice, and God forbid samurai entered the town. Aki would scream and curse at them, even going so far at the throw things from the safety of a high place, the girl had an unnatural hatred for those warriors.

But, she had been right about this, at least the whole ‘invisible things’ part, which meant she could be right about the demons part. If that were the case, well he couldn’t punish her, she solved a problem no one else was willing to even believe… still she HAD stolen the bow and arrows, but…

He sighed and grabbed Aki’s arm, dragging her back inside the house, ignoring her shouts of protest. 

“Sit here, and don’t move.” He ordered with a growl, before moving out of the room.

Aki clutched the fabric of her kimono, trying to take some calming breaths as she sat on the floor. Her mind swirled around itself as she tried to keep herself from associating the blood thumping through her with a roaring fire, she clasped a hand over her left ear, checking for blood.

Nope, it was the same as always, all she felt was the place where her ear SHOULD be, and the scarred skin that healed over the hole that had been left in wake of the event that would forever loom in her nightmares.

Aki was snapped out of her miniature panic attack by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor right in front of her.

A traveling bag.

The girl looked up at Kiyoshi, wide eyed as she noticed him holding out a bow, and a quiver full of arrows towards her.

“Kiyoshi…” She gasped in awe as she took the items, and found that the older man did not try to take them from her.

“Wipe that smile off your face, brat.” Kiyoshi snarled, “This isn’t a reward, this is me being a decent human being. You’ve caused enough trouble for me, and now that I see you can wield a weapon, I can only imagine the headaches you’ll cause me.” He explained.

“I… I don’t get it.” Aki cocked her head to the side.

“That bag had money, medicine, and food. It’s all yours.” He said, “I’m kicking you out.”

Ice ran down Aki’s back as she made a strangled noise of fear and horror, she held tightly the bow in her grip and looked at her guardian in disbelief.

The girl let out a nervous giggle. “I...n-nice joke Kiyoshi…” She trembled. “Really, good one… o-or is this a way to get me to behave?” She searched his face for a reaction. “B-be-because if it is, it worked!” Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, desperation seeping into her tone. “R-really! No m-more training or spying o-or even bothering the s-s-samurai! Pro-promise!” 

“I’m giving you the chance to leave with dignity and grace, don’t make me throw you out of this house, or chase you out of the village.” Kiyoshi spoke without a hint of remorse or kindness. “I suggest you take it.”

A solid six seconds passed by, before Aki gathered her new belongings, and took off as if the devil was on her heels.

———

Aki cowered in the barely standing remains of the destroyed and deserted seaside village she had stopped at. Her feet were scabbed over from running who knows how long, she was exhausted but fear and shock kept her awake. 

‘This is all just a nightmare, Aki.’ She tried to tell herself in her head, but that only succeeded in taking her mind down the memories of the last time she used that excuse.

‘GIVE THEM BACK!’ 

Aki jerked her head up towards the sky, and the color drained from her face.

A flaming birdlike beast hovered over the village, screaming demands. Though eyeless, it turned its head towards her.

And then it vanished.

She stopped breathing in her terror, and her legs now felt like jelly. What… what was that?

“Are you, Okay?” A familiar masculine voice asked, Aki turned towards it and.

A man with long back hair held in a ponytail, with brown eyes, dressed in black stood in front of her.

Memories sped through her mind.

A dream she shared with many, seeing her sister come home covered in bruises, two boys entering their life, the want to protect upon seeing blades under arms…

“Hyakkimaru…?” She whispered. The male looked stunned by her recognition of him, and nodded.

A quiet that suddenly broke into flames, dying screams and demands for the ‘spy’ to come out, monsters in human form cutting down small children, her sister, their sister, the guiding light who gave them hope for their dream, doing her best to calm the few hidden away until the monsters called for a ‘spy’, a sword coming down before their loved caretaker could explain herself or even beg for the others life’s to be spared, one of the new strangers shaking her body and begging her to awaken, the person in front of her arriving too late and ripping those responsible for the slaughter apart in a rage, him holding their sister’s lifeless corpse with his blood stained blade arms, the light dying and no search attempted for survivors, taking the precious seeds and leaving.

Aki looked at the little bag on Hyakkimaru’s neck, their collective dream held within. She stood up without stumbling, never taking her eyes off the demon in front of her.

“You… you’re the spy that got big sis Mio killed.” She spoke emotionlessly, raising her bow.

**Author's Note:**

> Ooookay! Another OC, I know! But I wanted to keep a theme going between the two groups we will be following in this arc, (Royalty, someone with demonic connections, and a child, two guys and a girl) plus I can’t be the only one that’s annoyed by the lack of living female Dororo characters, especially plot relevant ones. So meet Aki! One of the many children taken care of by Mio as they tried to fulfill that dream of creating a rice farm! I don’t think it’s too far fetched that perhaps at least one kid managed to hide or run away from the attack, plus it makes for great character potential! Let me know what y’all think! 
> 
> Now that all the players have been added, we’ll finally move on with the plot next instalment!


End file.
